C'est la vie! : Campodimele.... a hidden gem!

Since a weekend wasn’t enough, I decided to book myself a flight and meet my parents in Campodimele for the weekend. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Campodimele…it is a region in Italy my dad is from. It is a tiny village located on the very top of a mountain. It is known for the longevity of its residents and people normally live an average age of 95. This means that my weekend was full of meeting and spending time with people 90 +. But I loved every second of it!

Campodimele was definitely the calmest and most peaceful getaway I’ve had since I’ve been here. It was also the very first trip I took myself so I was proud I made it there in one piece. It was so refreshing to finally be in a place that felt like home. To give you all a glimpse of the daily life of the Campodimele residents it basically involves waking up in the morning, washing clothes and then lining them on the clothes liner outside to dry, going outside for a walk or espresso at the towns café, having a large afternoon lunch then nap, and then going outside to the town bar for a beer to mingle with all the locals. So we did exactly that. We spent the weekend meeting the locals, visiting some of my dads family, and lots and lots of eating. Everyone was so nice and welcoming. We stayed in the house my dad and his family just bought. Its over 150 years old and right by the town church. Every day we had visitors and people coming to meet us. Old ladies would come and bring us food and then my mom would make them an espresso and they would talk our ears off about the gossip of the town. The 90 year old women were incredible. They were so smart and still worked so hard even in their old age. I only hope that I could have the strength and wisdom they do. I also got to spend a lot of time with my dads cousin Vince and his wife who moved from Canada to Italy about 6 years ago. We spent a whole day at their new house he just built. They invited us over for a rustic meal of pappardelle con funghi, agnello, snails, and cicoria. We spent all night eating and drinking and had such a good time!

My trip to Campodimele was great. I was so amazed by how the people lived there. They lived so simply and were so happy and content with everything. It really opened my eyes to a lot. I was really sad to leave there. Saying goodbye to all the old ladies and locals and to my family was hard but I know I will be back to visit soon. I’m glad I was adventurous enough to leave Lyon, and travel on my own to this beautiful little town. It was such a simple trip yet so fulfilling. It was probably my most enriching experience thus far. And I’m so glad I could finally understand and see for myself why this little town makes my dad so happy. Me and my mom were both taken by surprise from all that this little town has to offer. But I think we are now thrilled to call it our second home. Enjoy the photos!!!

p.s. next up…. My big week long trip to the UK. Stay tuned!!

Lots of love,

-C